Nice, decent sized single screener that was converted into a double sometime in the late 70’s, early 80’s. I saw “Foul Play” and “Oh, God” when it was a single as well as “Annie Hall”. As a double, I saw “A Christmas Story” and “The Dead Zone”. It was in a nice area and the theater was well maintained.

I walked past this theater today. The theater building and the attached strip of stores that run along Atlantic Avenue are listed for sale, per this website. Several of the store fronts are vacant, including the former Super Video store on the corner that saps says occupies part of the old theater space. That would make the address of the theater 447 Atlantic Avenue, East Rockaway, NY 11518.

Construction was going on in the old video store and the doors were open so I peaked in. Assuming this was the old lobby and foyer space, the place was completely gutted with a drop ceiling in place. A bit down the side street (Maxwell Street) a pair of doors that look like they might have been former exit doors for the theater were also wide open – and revealed no more than a completely refinished storage room bearing no signs of a former theater. The auditorium structure runs parallel to Atlantic Ave and behind the other store fronts. It is now occupied by offices and a warehouse of some kind – a large loading bay door is evident in the alley that runs behind the building. There also seems to be an odd dormer on the roof of the former auditorium.

Here’s a local.live view that shows the entire structure. Saps and CConnolly… can you guys confirm that the entrance and foyer/lobby space for the theater was on the corner of Atlantic and Maxwell where the video store was?

I found this ad from the 12/12/1980 Daily News for a late run double feature booked into the Criterion 2. The ad refers to the theater as “K.B.’s Criterion.” K.B. Theaters also owned The Movies in Bellmore, the Roslyn and the Westbury (as well as others, I’m sure).

can you guys confirm that the entrance and foyer/lobby space for the theater was on the corner of Atlantic and Maxwell where the video store was?

Please excuse the looooooooooooooong time replying to your question. The best I can remember, the answer is yes. The entrance was on the corner of Atlantic and Maxwell. Fairly typical layout: long lobby and then the theater (and then theaters) came up on the left.

Hey Saps… I’ll have to upload that photo here for it to show up as the intro photo. They can’t snag photos on other websites like photobucket to use for the I.D. photo. I’ll get around to it one of these days!

I lived at 27 Sachem Street, East Rockaway, from 1928 (when my Dad built the house) to 1954. My sister and I used to walk from home to the Criterion frequently. We called it the “Crite.” I was in school with Larry Saphier, whose father operated the Criterion. I think that admission was 11 cents – 10 cents plus 1 cent tax, same as the Arcade Theater (the “Itch”) in Lynbrook. The Lynbrook Theater at Five Corners was more expensive, because it ran “first run” movies, like the Fantasy in Rockville Centre, where my wife served as usher for a time. The Criterion was as it has been described in other entries here. The entire building was a rectangle. The theater lobby was at the north end. The theater hall ran north-south parallel to Atlantic Avenue, along the rear of the building. The Atlantic Avenue frontage was built as a series of stores. The theater was maintained nicely. Parking was available on vacant lots to the rear of the building. I remember singing on stage there with a juvenile choral group run by Lillian Quinlan. Saturday matinees consisted of a feature film and then a lesser film, such as “scary” movies with evil doers played by Bela Lugosi, John Carradine, and other “bad guys.” The Criterion was part of my life, growing up in East Rockaway, which was a nice town then, and it still is; although we get back there infrequently now.